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TDM 007: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? (Sorry, No Refunds)
| TDM 007: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? |
00. Arrival This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. Entertainment District Old and new arrivals alike have likely been enjoying(?) the Island’s one day of sunshine per week - and so have the robots! The energy they are able to harness from the sun has increased their productivity exponentially, and a colorful multi-level entertainment district has sprung up to surround a few of the city’s familiar locations. Here you will find the forge, the clothing shop, the Full Moon(ty) Theater, as well as a freshly upgraded Ticket to Ride: an all-purpose arcade where tickets won from skeeball and Whack-a-Woody can be exchanged for sexy, colorful prizes! Admission is free, and the robots especially encourage islanders to check out the following arcade additions:  Lurid Laser Tag: Slip into a full-body laser tag suit and arm yourself with a robot-provided laser gun before you go into this spooky and maze-like laser tag arena, which has been designed in the fashion of an abandoned, post-apocalyptic city overrun with creeping, squirming, and sometimes grabbing plants (which may look and feel very familiar to the earliest residents of the Nameless Island). Avoid these obstacles and try to spot the enemy before they spot you! The laser guns issued by the ‘bots have three graduated settings, chosen by the shooter, to alert you when you are hit: 1. vibration, 2. sweet caress, and 3. deep massage. Any part of your laser tag suit may activate, depending on where you are hit. Islanders may choose to play 1-on-1 with a friend, or can be randomly assigned to an opponent or team. VR Rooms: Pull on a shiny new headset and enjoy an immersive virtual reality experience like none other available on the Island thus far! The technology is still somewhat limited, however, in that the rooms can only replicate settings and environments from the current users’ memories. Whether you’re looking to train your battle skills on your old stomping grounds or simply want to share the experience of your favorite hometown noodle shop with a friend, these new VR rooms will literally open up new worlds of entertainment to you. VR Rooms can be enjoyed alone or in pairs, and they are fully private. GundamPods: A scaled-down version of the newly installed mobile suit simulation cockpits which can be accessed in the hangar at the outskirts of the city, these side-by-side pods allow users to recreate the experience of piloting any mobile suit that has been brought onto the island, in PVP format. Scant and form-fitting clothing is recommended for the most seamlessly realistic piloting experience, as this allows the technology to interface with your sensory system. Wear a bikini and you’ll feel it right down to the G’s! II. Sexscape Room Looking for the latest opportunity to earn credits? Look no further! The robots are researching the problem-solving capabilities of organic lifeforms, and they are seeking the Islanders’ help. The offered reward is very generous, and the ‘bots say the time commitment is no more than two hours. No manual labor required! Participants will only be given a puzzle to solve within that time limit. Those who agree will be led to a spacious, if dark, room... but not alone. When the lights turn on, two volunteers find themselves trapped together in an escape room! Written clues lead participants through a series of steps to find the trick that will unlock the doors that hold them captive. However, what kind of room they find themselves in is entirely luck of the draw. Some rooms are perfectly normal, with almost absurdly easy puzzles to solve - a tip of a bookcase or a key hidden beneath a pillow might just be the ticket out. Others may be outrageously difficult, with clues taking the form of cryptic riddles and assigned tasks requiring partnership and teamwork to complete. What kind of tasks, you may ask? Well, for some rooms it’s fairly obvious what volunteers are expected to do in order to earn their escape. That riding crop says it all, does it not? Those who fail to solve the escape room within two hours will be released without incident, the promised credits loaded to their devices. Islanders who successfully escape the room will be additionally rewarded with a goody bag of cute and colorful BDSM gear! III. Speed Dating at the Limp Noodle So many renovations have occurred thanks to the efforts of those on the Island and the robots have decided a grand opening of the new Limp Noodle Shop! This robot-run shop has three small tables and a long counter for serving customers. It caters to various noodle foods and soups from any world and their menu changes regularly, but Wednesday is All You Can Eat Ramen Day. Try the Special Spicy Fishcakes to get a free drink, but they might make your noodle anything but limp and you'll need some help to calm it down. Effects can last up to three hours. But that’s not all. To promote the grand opening of the Limp Noodle the robots have added more seating and opened up the week for Swap Meet Speed Dating. That’s right, speed dating. Anyone who takes part in the 10 minute rounds of looking for your next Auspicious Act partner will receive all-you-can-eat snacks. Couples who hit it off will receive a free meal at a small two-seat table in a more secluded area. Questions are provided on note cards with a fine print reminder: “Eye contact supports sexual intrigue, please maintain at all times.” N A V I G A T I O N |
no subject
[ At her waist, she places a hand to the hilt of her beloved blade, the heel pressed to the end and her fingers slack. It's no gesture of threat, but one that allows her to draw her shoulders back and raise her chin. The bells upon her head ring out, ethereal and pretty. She is a demon that is powerful and proud, one that has strength in spades and shies not from it. Were someone in need of a demonstration of her might, she would give them such a gift - followed soon after by her mercy and her graciousness. ]
But, I was not here when they needed me most, and so it ended.
[ A regret, and a deep one.
He reminds her so very much of Higanbana, with the dark waterfall of her hair and the silken glide of her limbs through the air. Of Shuten Douji, assured in his might and ravenous even in his composure. His words suggest that he, too, is among their kind. She wonders, then, why he hides -- perhaps there are differences between their worlds, where she will walk openly with finned ears and the glimmering length of her tail and he will bear the crimson mark upon his brow. ]
Demons. Of the sea and of the land. And I am Suzuka Gozen, their leader. It is my pleasure to welcome you to my memory of this place. And to apologize, I thought I had selected a room for personal use.
[1/2]
[ It's clear these lands are hers; with a sky for a roof and silken grains underfoot as flooring. Although the stretch of sand and sea before him may not have four walls surrounding it, that hardly matters. There's no true requirement or definition for something that can be a feeling as well as a place. The closest approximation of his own had been a stretch of a bamboo forest, while a quaint structure and sole occupant within were once the beating heart of it.
His words have grown accustomed to acting as both sword and shield; weapons against foes better crippled by their cruelty than brute force. And had she been a familiar face from the world now pulled out from under his feet, full of cultivators who sought to chase him from the place they claimed as theirs, out of life and breath and living itself, then Luo Binghe wouldn't hesitate to strike with venom in them.
But she's not. Her words are sincere and without the gutless hollow of empty decorum. A genuine apology; a genuine everything about her rounds out his iron-sharp edges. Soon enough he's nearly lifting up the tail end of every word and the corners of his mouth in a softly teasing way. Because her openness makes him open up in return. ]
It sets a bad precedent for repeat offenses. Something people will always take advantage of.
[2/2]
[ The titles roll out almost rotely, each as true and factual as the last, even if at this point they've become extensions of himself that feel like lost limbs. His by right, yet distanced from a man whose truest self is a child intimately called by name, all by a ghost he ceaseless stumbles after.
No salutes or gracious bows follow his introduction; Luo Binghe offers them to no one anymore. However, there is the offer of a hand bisected by a single scar. It's there for her usage as she pleases, to take in her own or to hold at the arm, so that he might escort her through this unreality that sprawls out further with her every recollection. ]
So you devoted yourself to those precious to you, but it still wasn't enough. One mistake cost you everything.
[ The draw of a cursed sword, lies of omission on cultivation and bloodlines built up over time and misunderstandings cobbled into a mountain of perceived wrongs; He understands too well the irreparable choices that set fire to the promise of tomorrow. ]
No amount of power seems capable of preventing these things. Losses. Regret.
no subject
[ The love she holds for her people, even the memory of them, is as raw as an open wound. It is a thing she holds within her with hands that tremble with the effort of being tender and cautious with such a fragile thing; like the human who had taught her of familial bonds in his daughter's stead, she views her people as her extended family. Because of him, she had learned how to cradle sentiment within her, alongside her might -- she is, above all, the illustrious leader of Mt. Suzuka's own. Her strength is that of the waves, her heart as stable as the cool depths of the sea that stretches out endless around her isle. It may be decayed now, in the world she came from, but in her memories she warms herself with the knowledge that she and Otakemaru had taught their people of peace.
Such a thing would forever set them apart from the hoards of Mt. Oe, lusting for power.
It would forever mark them as braver than any human of Kyoto could ever dream to be. ]
Lord Luo Binghe, [ she greets him head-on, her form swaying on toetip as she rocks herself into alignment; to face him, the way she would face any member of Heian-kyo's Feast, or the great onmyoji himself. Resolute and mindful, with the natural graciousness of a truly inspired leader, or the assured confidence of someone born into regality. Suzuka Gozen rings as she walks, though her feet leave only thing hint of a tread in the waterlogged sand that edges the sea.
The sea. ] You are a dear cousin, from across the waves. Welcome to Mt. Suzuka.
[ Her gait brings her to him, her hand slips into his. Then, around it. Her fingers find the curve of his knuckles, and elevates his hand so that her mouth may politely find the scar upon it - light, as she greets him. Cautious too, with the branching antlers upon her headdress, so that she does not butt him in the face or shoulder while doing so.
And though her bearing thus far has been formal, she attempts to leverage herself into his space. To align her side with his and tuck his arm under hers, companionable and bold in gesture. Perhaps it's girlish of her, the way she tosses her head back to flick hair from her shoulders and smiles, bright. ]
Leave your melancholy at the water's edge, cousin. Let it wash away for now, and let me show you the joy that was to be had here in its prime. There may be no sustenance here to fill your belly, but we have learned well how to warm the heart.